On a final visit in 1995, by Ayatasan of Honda (he was returning to Japan full time), I was walking him round the factory to demonstrate the improvements and progress we had made since the mid-1980s when he first visited us. He stopped in No. 4 works, in front cells producing Honda Accord and Civic Pedal Box and Gearshift, (the latter was our own design for Honda, which we presented to them, unprompted). We fitted our own prototype to a Honda Civic and invited Honda engineers to drive it.
Ayata looked left and right, to one side were the cells for the Nissan Micra and Primera pedal box/gearshift and to the other, the same for the Toyota Avensis and Corolla. Ayata said, “You must be very proud Vaughansan.” I responded I was but we still needed to improve. There was much work to do. “No Vaughansan, you don’t understand. This before me, Nissan, Toyota and Honda products all being produced in one place, together – you will never see anywhere else in the world. Nowhere.”
Praise indeed!